Bare-root stock must be soaked in water for several hours before planting. The soil
should be kept moist for the first few weeks, to encourage rooting. If the temperature is
unseasonably warm after planting, protect the canes from the sun using wet burlap, or
mound soil around the canes and gradually remove it as growth begins.

Two approaches may be used. The first is to train the dog to use a particular place
every time, maybe a gravel area at the edge of the lawn. While this training is underway
you can repair the existing damage by raking up the dead grass, drenching the spot with a
hose for three days in succession, then re-seeding or re-sodding the spot.

Several insects and mites feed on honeylocust trees and can cause conspicuous injuries.
Heavy infestations can reduce tree growth rate and vigor but rarely cause permanent
injury. The culprit is usually the larvae of the honeylocust podgall midge, which cause
the infested leaflets to curl and thicken, forming small "pod galls" instead of
expanding normally. This pest has multiple annual generations, of which the most damaging
is the earliest one, occurring from the time of first growth through mid-summer. Chemical
controls have been only moderately successful. These include pyrethroids, Carbaryl,
and Mavrik, which should be applied to coincide with the first flush of new growth
and repeated every three or four weeks until mid-summer. (NOTE: Do not use dimethoate
(Cygon) which is extremely toxic to honeylocust.) For information on other pests and
diseases affecting the honeylocust, see CSU Fact Sheets 5.571
and 2.939.

Bare root trees are usually the least expensive. They are available only in the spring,
as dormant stock. Large caliper (truck diameter) trees are not available as bare root. Too
much of their root system is lost during digging to have a reasonable chance of surviving.
(Transplant survival rates are usually lowest for bare root stock).

Potted trees are bare toot trees that have been containerized. If they have been
growing in the pot only a short while, new roots will not be well-established. Therefore
the root ball may fall apart when the tree is removed from the pot, giving you a
"bare root" plant. If the tree has been potted for a long time, its roots may
have started circling around the pot, growing in on themselves. The roots should then be
sliced with a vertical cut halfway up through the center of the root mass then pulled
apart (butterflied) to encourage the growth of new roots.

With a B&B tree, care must be taken not to break apart the root ball while
planting. Burlap and twine must be removed to prevent girdling or excessive drying from
burlap wicking moisture from the root ball to the surface. If a wire basket was used,
instead of burlap, it should be cut off to prevent subsequent root girdling.

Yes! Weeds rob your crops of water, nutrients and light. Some weeds harbor
diseases, insects and nematodes that may reinfect garden in succeeding years. After
each irrigation or rainfall, as soon as the soil is workable, it is good to cultivate with
a hoe just under the soil surface to kill any new weeds. In a small garden the weeds can
also be controlled with black fabric or polyethylene mulch, supplemented by hand weeding.
Mulching with organic material is also a common practice. Good materials to use are
partially decomposed hay, straw or grass clippings, applied 4 inches thick when the plants
are about 6 inches tall. Hoe out any small weeds first.

Not only does the mulch control weeds, it also conserves moisture, keeps the soil from
being compacted and gradually increases the organic content of the soil.